The Tabby Cat and Her Bumblebee
by PracticallyPerfectJulie
Summary: MMAD-centric. This tells the story of Minerva and Albus' life together. Full summary inside. Currently rated T, but may go up dependent on how things go. I have a few chapters already written so should be quick to update. Will probably be a long fic!
1. Chapter 1

**The Tabby Cat and her Bumblebee.**

_I adore Harry Potter and every word J. K. Rowling has written, but in my heart I will always believe that McGonagall and Dumbledore belong together. So this is my version of their story. (It's a bit depressing to start with, but I promise it gets better – I hope!) Mostly McGonagall/Dumbledore-centric, with a few others thrown in as well. I'll mostly stay true to the books with a few of my own embellishments. Having read the Harry Potter Wiki, I have set Minerva 10 years older than she is, leaving Hogwarts in 1944, rather than 1954. Naturally everything belongs to J. K. Rowling and WarnerBros. _

After the final battle.

Minerva collapsed down into the high backed carved wooden chair at her desk, the same desk and chair that had been occupied by her predecessors – every headmaster and mistress of Hogwarts since 1611. Her mind was swimming and swirling with the events of today entwined with memories from much further back in time. She looked up at the portraits on the wall, her gaze landed on one sleeping image in particular, Albus Dumbledore. He was her friend, chess companion, lover, and husband. He had died to protect her, to protect all of the wizarding and muggle worlds alike, but now in the end, when the war was won she still didn't understand why he had had to die. She understood the prophecy; she knew Harry had to have been the one to finally kill Voldermort, but not why Albus had needed to sacrifice himself. Of course she knew that he wouldn't have done it if he hadn't needed to. If there had been another choice, another way out, he would have taken it. It was part of his greater plan she had known, but it didn't stop the agonising ache deep in her soul every time she considered living the rest of her life without him.

Each night her dreams were filled with images of him; memories of their life together and fantasies of what could have been. Each morning she woke to the realisation that they were just that: dreams, memories and fantasies. That was all she could ever have now. Her heart and soul shattered each day with the realisation. This was more painful to her than any of the physical pain that scarred her skin and the unforgivable curses that still echoed through her memories. This pain tore at her very soul, and she did not know of a cure. She wanted to remember, she wanted to relive those treasured memories of the man she loved; but the same memories that she knew would comfort her haunted her just the same. The memories were finite now, there would be no more than she already had.

At first, she had tried to convince herself it was not real. That Albus had found some way to deceive everyone in order for Voldermort to focus on Harry and allow Harry to defeat him. She had fully expected Albus to return to the Order in secret, or at least return to her, and return fully when they needed him. But as the days and months had past, the hope was beginning to fade. Tomorrow would be a year since her beloved had fallen from the Astronomy Tower to his death, and Minerva had to concede that he would not return. She had seen his body, felt for a pulse where there was none, listened for a breath that did not come and kissed lips that did not kiss back. He wasn't there.

Large, warm tears were tumbling down her cheeks, dripping off her chin and smudging the ink on the lesson plans on the desk in front of her. Her eyes were red and swollen; her shoulders shook with the force of her silent sobs. She wrapped her arms around herself in a vain attempt to ease the pain, but it did not.

The events of today had been hard on all of them. She had watched her brave Gryffindor cubs stand and fight against the darkest magic their generation had known, and win. Immense pride had swelled inside her as she had stood by them. Even her beloved castle had played its part in defending them. Of course others had fallen; most of the original Order had gone now. Her heart sank lower at the thought of all of them. How many times had she scalded Fred and George Weasley for some prank or other? Teddy Lupin would grow up without his parents. And only in death had they all understood Severus Snape and the lengths he went for the woman he loved. Minerva had taught almost all of those that had fought, for and against them. She could remember the fresh young faces that had greeted her on the stairs each September. She could not truly have imagined what they would become.

Shy, frightened Neville had shown his true Gryffindor colours, driving Godric Gryffindors' sword through the Voldermorts' final horcrux, allowing Harry to finally defeat him. Pride had warmed Minerva's heart at the sight of Neville, standing in a hand-knitted cardigan that had been made by his grandmother and previously warn by his father killing Nagini.

Quiet, innocent Molly Prewitt had defended her only daughter against the madness of the murderess Bellatrix Lestrange. The death eaters had taken so much from Molly; her father, two brothers and one son. Twenty-eight years previously, Minerva had sat on the stone steps of the entrance hall one evening, holding the woman. Only then, her biggest problem was a red haired Gryffindor who seemed to have more interest in Muggle contraptions than her. Minerva secretly wondered if this still wasn't the second biggest cause of disharmony in the Weasley household. The biggest had undoubtedly been Fred and George. A sharp pain hit Minerva's heart at the thought. Fred. Infuriating, irritating, exasperating, Fred. She had no idea how the Weasley's would cope without him. She was sure he had driven Molly to insanity as he had done her at times, but Minerva knew how much she loved her children and loosing Fred would take an enormous toll on the woman. Her mind wandered to a small window on the third floor, under which sat a small swamp. It would no doubt remain a permanent memorial to him now and for that Minerva was grateful.

She remembered the day Albus had found the swamp. _It had been a few days after his return to Hogwarts after the dramatic events at the Ministry of Magic which had forced Cornelius Fudge to finally admit that Voldermort had returned to power. The students had left for the summer and the castle had been blissfully silent. They had walked arm in arm through the corridors down to dinner. They had paused at the side of the rope around the boggy obstacle. _

'_There appears to be a swamp in the corridor, dear.' He observed in a manner of someone commenting on something perfectly ordinary like the weather. _

'_Yes.' Minerva confirmed matter of factly. 'It was considerably larger but Filius and I decided we couldn't leave the whole corridor unusable and sadly Argus was entirely dissatisfied with the idea of shuttling the students across it in a small boat, so here we are.' _

'_Indeed. But why is it here at all?' Albus asked. _

'_Of all the students we have ever had through these halls who do you think would consider it entertaining to convert a corridor into a swamp?' She retorted. _

'_Ah.' Realisation dawned and Albus' eyes sparkled. _

'_The Weasley twins felt it would suitably infuriate Delores.' _

'_And did it?' He prompted._

'_Indeed.' She said a hint of satisfaction in her voice. 'Although, Filius and I both refused to do deal with it citing several of her blasted educational decrees which didn't allow us the authority to do anything about it, nor to punish the twins.' Albus laughed. 'So, we thought we'd keep this bit as a tribute to them.' _

'_Very fitting.' He stated, slipping his arm around his deputy's waist and pulling her round to face him. The smile slid from his face as he became serious for a moment. 'I'm sorry for this year, Tabby. I know she was hard on you. I couldn't see any other way of keeping them from expelling Harry and' Minerva put a finger to his lips to stop him. _

'_You did the right thing, Albus. I did miss you and there were times when I was so upset and angry at you for leaving, but you did the right thing. We made it through and the toad is gone. I also think the Ministry has learned not to interfere again.' They both grinned. Minerva tilted her head up to his and pressed a kiss on his soft lips. 'I really missed you.' She whispered their lips only millimetres apart. Albus brushed his crooked nose against hers. _

'_I'm here now.' He replied, before kissing her again. _


	2. Chapter 2

As the first years travelled across the black lake gasps escaped the lips of the excited new students. The candle lit turrets emerged out of the distance at the far side of the lake. In that one second Minerva fell hopelessly in love. She had never seen a more beautiful sight. The dark shadowy turrets contrasted with the bright oranges, pinks and purples of the cloudy sunset. Pricks of light shone from the lit windows of the towers. The moonlight and the reflections from the castle's windows glittered on the great expanse of dark water they were floating across.

Her love of the castle would last a lifetime and the only stronger love she would ever feel was that of the man that was at that moment waiting to greet her and the other first years.

Minerva had met Albus on her first day at Hogwarts. He emerged into view as the nervous group of first years climbed the staircase towards the great hall. The tall thin man caused a number of gasps from the group of new students, some who recognised him as one of the most famous and powerful wizards of the day. Others were surprised by his appearance. He had long auburn curly hair and equally long matching beard, his robes were bright purple with glittering stars upon them and his bright blue eyes were sparkling.

_Minerva grinned at a young girl to the left of her. She was a little shorter than Minerva, with dark curly hair which rested just below her shoulders; dark brown eyes and pale skin. This fellow first year was Poppy Pomfrey, Minerva's oldest and closest friend. They linked arms and beamed up at the deputy headmaster, eager to hear what he had to say before entering the great hall for the sorting ceremony. _

'_Welcome to Hogwarts!' he said raising his arms in a welcoming gesture, as if offering the small crowd of excited scared students before him a hug. 'In a few moments I will take you through into the Great Hall, where the rest of the students are waiting. There you will be sorted into you houses, of which there are four; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While you are here, your house will be your family, achievements and good deeds will earn you house points, mischief, rule-breaking and failure to complete homework, will lose you points. Is that clear?' he paused. 'Good. Follow me please.'_

_Minerva's eyes darted around the Great Hall as they entered her mouth dropping open slightly in awe at the enchanted ceiling; which was midnight blue and completely clear, so tiny twinkling stars shone through._

'_McGonagall, Minerva.' Albus said at last. Minerva stepped forward and perched herself on the wooden stool, which stood before the rest of the house tables. _

'_Hmm…' said a voice by her ear, making her jump. 'Well…yes…interesting. There's plenty of honesty there, but plenty of brains too…and talent, yes, there's talent. You'd do well in Ravenclaw.' Minerva's heart skipped, her mother had been a Ravenclaw; she would have liked to be in that house, the hat however continued: 'But there's loyalty and courage, yes, powerful courage too. The thirst for knowledge is strong…yes… and to need to protect those you love…GRYFFINDOR!' The hat shouted across the hall and the table of students directly in front of her erupted in cheering and applause. Minerva grinned, standing as Albus took the hat from her head. He gave her a small smile that only she saw and a wink with one of his twinkly blue eyes. She skipped down to the table of waiting students, who all enthusiastically introduced themselves to her. A few moments later she was grinning again and hugging the newest Gryffindor Poppy to her. She was going to enjoy school, she could feel it!_

Tucked up in her bed in Gryffindor tower later that night Minerva couldn't stop smiling, she was desperately excited to begin her lessons the following morning. She had transfiguration first thing with Professor Dumbledore, she had already read their textbook through twice and she could complete almost all of the transfigurations already. She didn't like to show off to others, their opinions didn't hold a great deal of meaning for her, but she did like to succeed for her own personal pleasure.

Albus had instantly spotted the talent in his young student; on her first lesson she had completed the simple transfiguration he set them on her first try. In fact, within the first hour, she completed all six transfigurations in the first chapter of the book with very little effort. Possibly more astonishing to him was her ability to explain all of the methods and theory behind them as well. He had often encountered students who possessed a raw talent and progressed quickly in his subject, but very few had the academic knowledge to achieve highly alongside it. The presence of this new student particularly excited Albus, he had no doubt she would be an outstanding O.W.L and N.E.W.T, probably much earlier than she should be.

_Albus set the class off on the relatively simple task of transfiguring a matchstick into a needle. _

'_Miss McGonagall?' he called across to the front desk. 'May I have a word?' She nodded, raising herself from her seat and walking across to the teacher's desk. 'I assume you could manage this transfiguration in your sleep?' he asked, the small smile and twinkle returning. _

'_Yes, sir.' She said simply. 'I'm happy to carry on though, I don't mind helping Poppy.' _

'_Indeed, you may if you would prefer. However, I see very little point in it. Have you attempted transfigurations with any animate objects yet; Insects, beetles, small mammals and the like?'_

'_Yes, I can do most of the ones in the text book you set. I had a few problems with the mice because they wouldn't stay still, but I got there eventually.' _

'_Very impressive.' He stated, with a small nod. The excitement was building in him now. 'And do you like transfiguration?' Minerva grinned. _

'_Yes. I love it!' she enthused. Albus' eyes twinkled again. _

'_Then may I suggest that you move on to the second year text, I have a copy here.' He said, fishing the battered book out of his desk draw. 'I would like you to complete the essays I am setting for each of the transfigurations, in the grade one text, but I would presume you would be bored working through it at the same pace as the rest of us.' Minerva gave a small smile and nodded. 'If there is anything you don't understand please come and see me, and if you wish we can arrange personal tutorials each week or so to review your progress. Are you happy with that?' Minerva nodded. _

'_That would be great, sir.' _

'_Good. I am very much looking forward to seeing progress. I think we can expect great things from you. Who knows, you might be in my seat one day!' he teased. Minerva blushed._

'_Maybe, I'd like that. I would only hope that means you would have been promoted, sir.' She replied. She felt uncomfortable with taking Dumbledore's place, however, she would love to teach, and she had always hoped she would. _

'_We will have to wait and see. For the time being I suggest you return to Miss Pomfrey, she seems to be having a little difficulty.' Albus commented, nodding his head back to the seat next to Minerva's empty one. Minerva smiled._

'_I better do then, she'll have to return the favour later in potions anyway.' Albus nodded. _

'_I'm happy to assist there too, I don't aim to suggest I have Professor Slughorn's abilities, but I've not unintentionally exploded a cauldron in years.' Minerva laughed. _

'_I will be taking you up on that offer as well then.' Albus nodded and Minerva returned to her seat; giving her wand a flick as she went, putting out the flaming match that sat before a horrified Poppy. _

#####

Minerva the student had been a quiet, talented girl. She had long, dark hair which snaked down her back in a neat plait. Most of the students had thought her odd and she was often teased by the girls in her year. She was devoted to her education, spending hours in the library, browsing every volume they had. She had taken up Professor Dumbledore's offer of extra transfiguration lessons and support with her potions. She was far excelling her peers in all of her subjects, this didn't bother her and she was not big headed or boastful with her talent.

Most of all she adored Hogwarts, her home life hadn't always been happy, but Hogwarts offered her a sanctuary and she was forever grateful for the letter that had arrived on her eleventh birthday.

She had a small group of close friends, whom she shared her abilities with. She supported them with their school work, but never did it for them. She was quickly referred to as 'Hogwarts Mummy' by this close inner circle, looking after all of them like their mothers would have, had they been at school with them. Poppy Pomfrey, whom she had known since she was a child, was the closest of these friends. Both shared a love of the castle in which they lived and both would later return, spending most of their lives there.

She was not very popular with the rest of the girls in her year, but she had a very different effect on the boys. She was beautiful, none of them could deny that, but she never expressed an interest in any of them. This seemed to spark their interest further. One boy, in the year below Minervas', was particularly interested in the enchanting witch. He was sure she had not noticed him and he fully intended to change that. This boy's name was Tom Riddle.

_The fifth year Slytherin stood by the door to the great hall, waiting. He didn't like to wait. He was an impatient young boy, and he wanted his own way. But against all his will he was waiting, and for a girl at that. He didn't like his actions, but he wanted something or rather someone, and this was the only way he saw of getting his wishes. A tall thin sixth year Gryffindor girl stood from the dining table, a prefect badge glittering on her robes in the candle light. She collected up her book and the parchment she had been making notes on and her quill, before heading towards the door. She smiled across the table at another fifth year girl, who waved back, her own nose buried in a book of advanced healing potions. Tom approached her as she came through the open doors into the entrance hall. _

'_Minerva McGonagall' He said, startling her from her thoughts. _

'_Mister Riddle' she responded, coldly. 'Is there something I can do for you?'_

'_Actually, Minerva, it's more what I can do for you.' She curved her eyebrow. A look many of her students over the years would come to fear, for it meant Minerva McGonagall would be difficult to convince of whatever they had just suggested. Tom completely missed this subtle cue. 'The Yule Ball is coming up and I would like to offer you an evening with me.' He stated with some satisfaction. He was proud to say a girl had never turned him down yet and as such oozed arrogance. Minerva's eyebrow curved further and her gaze stiffened. _

'_I see.' She stated coldly. 'And what makes you think I would like to attend with you?' she continued. _

'_Well, this is me Minerva. Why wouldn't you want to with me? Why wouldn't anyone?' Minerva's stare hardened, the 'death glare' that would later become infamous with her students. The look that meant they had gone too far and would likely result in greatly undesired consequences. This cue Tom also missed. She took a deep calming breath. _

'_I can think of a number of reasons I would not want to attend the ball with you, your arrogance being only one of them. I shall therefore decline your offer, Mr Riddle. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore.' She stood tall and walked briskly towards the staircase, not looking back. _

_A group of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw girls emerged from the great hall laughing at Tom's rejection. He sneered at them and looked back up to the staircase. _

'_You'll regret that, McGonagall!' He called after her, anger seething in her eyes. No one turned him down; especially not a Gryffindor, especially not a girl. He stalked off towards the Slytherin dungeon common room, plotting his revenge. _

Sadly for him, by the time his revenge came, Minerva had the strength to recover. He did hurt her and badly, but the same professor she was in that moment heading towards would be the same man who would save her. Giving her the greatest strength and love she would ever know. Something Tom Riddle would never be able to understand and would be his greatest downfall.


	3. Chapter 3

_Here's Chapter three, sorry it is a little short, but the next few are already written and will follow fairly quickly - maybe even later tonight if we're lucky. Thank you for all the lovely reviews, I really appreciate it. As always characters etc. belong to the incomparable JKR! Enjoy!_

As a student Minerva had always liked Albus, she had had a talent for transfiguration; they had both known that from her very first lesson. As she progressed far above her peers and that of both O.W.L and N.E.W.T level, Albus became more and more excited and enchanted by his young student. He never considered these feelings to be more than professional satisfaction however. Her talent inspired him and her development under his guidance made him incredibly proud. For the first time he had found his match as an intellectual equal and a challenging chess partner, a past time they both greatly enjoyed. Minerva had continued evening lessons with Albus, advancing through every text on transfiguration in the school library and in Albus' personal collection. Minerva devoured every morsel of information on the pages and perfected every practical.

One evening, towards the end of an intense and close fought chess battle, Minerva finally summoned enough of her Gryffindor courage to make a request.

'_I was thinking.' Minerva began, before pausing to inform her rook of his next move. 'I'd like to work towards animagus training.' She finished, looking up to her mentors enchanting blue eyes. _

'_I see.' He paused, nodding at his king. 'Check.' Minerva gasped at the board, not entirely sure how he had reached that position. She made her defensive move and smiled in satisfaction. She'd thwarted his plan for the moment. 'Becoming an animagus is hard work, Minerva. Most witches and wizards never achieve it at all, never mind while they are still at school. I myself didn't succeed until the age of twenty-five.' He observed his knight take his sword and decapitate one of Minerva's bishops. _

'_I know it will be difficult, sir, but I like the challenge.' Her other bishop now took his revenge on his knight. _

'_Indeed.' He paused before allowing his queen to advance. 'You have most certainly proved yourself capable and I don't doubt you will persevere until you have achieved your goal.' He paused. 'This is what you want?'_

'_Most definitely.' _

'_Very well then.' He shook his head as his final castle skidded in pieces across the board, falling victim to Minerva's knight. 'The book you have on advanced transfiguration should have a chapter on animagi, as should Emeric Switch's advanced text, they will give you a nice introduction. Then I'll fish you a few more specific ones off my shelves before you leave.' He looked across the board at her, a satisfied grin on her face. He mirrored her expression, once again thrilled by her enthusiasm for his subject. Prior to their first meeting he had highly doubted there was anyone as enthusiastic and committed to the study of magic than him. Not that he boasted about it, but he had never met anyone with the same passion that bordered on obsession that he had. Minerva was still smiling, unable to hide her excitement. _

'_Thank you, Professor.' She said. Followed very swiftly by: 'Check mate.' Albus blinked, staring at his cornered king, Minerva's queen towering over him. _

'_I hope your interest in animagus training wasn't part of your strategy, Miss McGonagall.' He raised an eyebrow when he returned his gaze to her. _

'_Not at all, merely a happy coincidence.' Albus chuckled. _

They had begun training the following Tuesday, but as it was nearing the end of the summer term, they hadn't progressed far before the summer holidays were upon them.

After six months of training she could manage ears and a full cat face, and occasionally a tail. Albus was highly impressed by this achievement from a sixteen year old, but Minerva was trying to avoid showing her frustration. She wanted to be able to do it. Every other transfiguration she had ever tried she had completed successfully within one or two attempts, but this was much harder than anything she had done before.

'_Take a deep breath, Minerva. I know you can do it, you just have to believe in yourself.' Albus said looking determinedly at her. She looked up at her professor. 'Go on.' He stated calmly. Minerva looked into his twinkling blue eyes and took a deep breath; drawing her confidence from him, she closed her eyes. 'One, two, three.' On three she focused on her form, she felt the familiar transformation in her head. The feeling stopped at her neck. She breathed in again. _

'_Come on, Minerva' she thought. Her mind wandered to her professors words, 'I know you can do it' he had said. Then there were his eyes, she could see the honesty in them. He knew she could do it. She could do it. She could hear applause from the professor as she opened her eyes and looked around. _

'_Hello Tabby Cat.' Albus laughed. Looking down Minerva saw her…paws. Her heart skipped, she swished her tail and pranced on her paws across to the mirror. She twirled in front of it, purring happily. Albus knelt down and stroked her ears. 'Well done, Minerva.' She grinned and the human Minerva was sitting on the floor beside her professor. _

'_I did it!' She shrieked, very uncharacteristically. _

'_You did!' Albus said. 'Now, I think your achievement deserves a present.' He held out a small parcel to her. Minerva smiled, taking the small brown paper package. She opened it. Then looked up at her professor, disgusted. _

'_Cat nip!' she exclaimed. 'I finally manage to transfigure myself into my animagus and your reward is cat nip!'_

'_Yes.' He stated, grinning. 'It's made you smile though.' He continued. Minerva grinned. 'There. You did it, Minerva. You became an animagus, something that most witches and wizards never achieve, at the age of sixteen. You are the brightest witch of your age and I'm very proud to be your professor. I'd just like to see you smile and have fun sometimes too.' Minerva smiled. _

'_There isn't always so much to smile about.' She stated, looking sorrowful. She turned her head away from him, standing and walking across to the window. She stared out over the sun drenched grounds, mesmerised by momentarily by the giant squid swimming across the surface of the lake. _

'_Can I help?' He asked standing behind her. _

'_No.' she stated. 'Thank you for today Professor Dumbledore. I'm tired; I'd like to finish for tonight. Same time next week?' _

'_As always.' He smiled. 'We'll work on holding your form for longer periods of time.' He paused before his next statement. 'I'm here if you do need anything Minerva. Whatever is bothering you, it can't help to keep it bottled up. I'm as guilty as the next person for it; I should probably eat my own words. But the offer stands, anytime.' His eyes twinkled and Minerva nodded._

'_Thank you.' She whispered, before turning and walking towards the door. Albus smiling silently to himself, noticing that the cat nip was still gripped in her slender fingers._

It would be sometime before Minerva revealed to him what had bothered her so much that day, but his words had remained with her. She was grateful for his kindness, he was the only one who had noticed and actually responded to her suffering. But his words had also haunted her. _'I'm as guilty as the next person.' _There was more hidden in Albus Dumbledore than anyone had known. More pain and suffering than he should have felt. Yet he hid it, just like she did. In time they would come to realise how alike they truly were. Neither could describe how this bonded them together and how in the strength of their likeness and indeed, weaknesses, they became stronger. Each drew from each other more strength than they could have had divided. They gave each other hope, bravery, love, but most importantly, something to fight for. Under their bond Hogwarts flourished, without any awareness of the truth behind their headmaster and deputy's relationship.

When she thought back she realised that it may have been then that she first started loving Albus. Neither would have ever dreamed of acting upon their feelings as student and teacher, in fact, neither truly realised the warm feeling they had inside them was love until several years later.


	4. Chapter 4

Throughout Minerva's seventh and final year at Hogwarts the world began to change. Beyond the safety of the castle walls a war was raging, both magic and muggle. There were murders and disappearances almost daily, families were being torn apart by death and treachery and no one was really sure whether muggles or wizards were to blame for the destruction. This change left Minerva with a problem. She had wanted to enter the institute of transfiguration in London and continue her studies, her dream being to return to Hogwarts as a professor. But she could not ignore what was going on and she knew she had to do something.

_The young Gryffindor was on her way to Professor Dumbledore's office on a summers evening in late May. She had perfected her animagus transformation, but the lessons had continued. Most of their evenings were now filled with discussions of articles in Transfiguration Today, games of chess and detailed concepts of advanced transfiguration Minerva had come across in her research (mostly of the restricted section in the Library and Albus' own collection). Usually they finished the evening with a game of chess. _

_Minerva entered the transfiguration classroom quietly and walked across to the door at the other side which led to Professor Dumbledore's office. As she reached the door she heard raised voices, instantly recognising Albus'; realising he sounded angry, she stepped away from the door, undecided as to what to do. _

'_Be reasonable, Armando! Do you realise what you are suggesting?' Albus was shouting as Minerva tiptoed from one foot to the other. _

'_Well, someone's got to do something!' She heard Professor Dippet, the Headmaster shouting. 'If Grindlewald gets any more powerful the entire wizarding world as we know it will collapse! I can't call any more students into my office to inform them HE's murdered their parents for being a muggle or marrying one or opposing him! It's wrong!'_

'_I know it's wrong' Albus said calmly, Minerva could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke. 'I know he's wrong.' He sighed, sitting back onto his desk. 'He wouldn't listen to reason.' The room fell silent, both men lost in their thoughts for a moment._

_A calm deep voice Minerva had not heard before met her ears. _

'_Reason isn't the answer anymore, Albus. Highly trained aurors have failed there. I'm losing the best witches and wizards I have because he won't reason. I'd send them into duel if I thought any of them could take him on, but he's too powerful. And now, now…' The voice trailed off. _

'_And now he has the Elder Wand.' Albus finished. 'He has one third of the most powerful magic in the world at his disposal, Minister. I am aware of the potential repercussions.' Silence engulfed them once more. _

_Minerva's mind was spinning. Grindlewald. The Elder Wand. Gellert Grindlewald had the most powerful wand that had ever existed, he had one third of the deathly hallows and the Minister for Magic could do nothing about it. This was it; this was the end of the world, or at least the end of the good in the world. Had there been a boggart in the room then, it would have formed the very image before her now. Grindlewald had personally murdered her two uncles, her mothers' brothers, for opposing his dreams of a pureblood wizarding race and Minerva didn't dare consider the prospect that he could go after her mother for marrying a muggle. Or indeed her, for being half-blood. She could not see the light at the end of the tunnel any more, she could no longer see hope. _

_The sounds of movement in the room drew her from her thoughts with a jolt. She knew the neither the Minister nor the headmaster could know that she had heard their conversation, and Professor Dumbledore probably wouldn't approve either. The handle on the door turned and it slowly creaked open. In less than a second the headmaster or the Minister for Magic would be facing her. She did the only thing she could think of. _

_Armando Dippet was the first to exit the office, followed closely by a very tired looking Minister for Magic. _

'_Thank you, Albus.' The minister was saying. 'I hope we can meet under better circumstances next time.'_

'_Indeed' replied Albus from inside the room. The headmaster had stopped just outside the door, directly in front of Minerva. _

'_Albus, you seem to have a visitor.' Professor Dippet commented, his tone lifting slightly. Albus' head appeared round the door, his blue eyes seemed to have lost their twinkle. Sitting on the floor by the front desk was a small cat. A hint of his usual twinkle appeared as his eyes met with the cat Minerva. 'She belongs to one of the students I assume.' Dippet continued, completely unaware that the cat was one of his students. _

'_I believe so.' The twinkle returning more fully to his eyes now. He stepped forward and lowered his hand, gently stroking the cat's ears. 'Good evening, Tabby Cat.' He said softly. _

'_I'd better be off.' The minister interrupted, entirely uninterested in the presence of a cat in the transfiguration classroom. _

'_I'll see you out.' Dippet announced. 'Good night, Albus.' Albus nodded at him and the minister as they turned to leave. He stood silently until the door had closed, before whispering both locking and silencing charms. _

'_How much did you hear, Minerva?' he asked, the heaviness in his voice had returned. She stepped forward out of her cat form, pain and sorrow evident across her face. _

'_Enough.' She whispered her voice breaking. They had discussed Grindlewald before, his intentions and how to stop him, but now it was different. Now the threat was more real and even more deadly. Albus placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Her emerald green eyes snapped up to his face, looking for the comfort in his eyes too. But it did not come. He sighed heavily again. _

'_The only way to stop him would be to defeat him. He won't listen to reason, he won't be persuaded with and he certainly won't accept a peace deal. Someone will have to duel him, to death or defeat.' He looked out to the window, removing his hand and turning away from her. _

'_And the minister thinks that someone is you?' Minerva asked. _

'_Yes.' He paused. He didn't want to burden his student with the details of the answer, but the stress of holding it in seemed much worse. 'I knew Grindlewald.' He continued. 'Or at least I thought I did. We met years ago, when we were much younger and much more foolish and impulsive; and I'm sorry to say I think I fuelled some of his interest in the Hallows. The minister thinks that because I know him, I have a better chance of defeating him because I can find is weaknesses.' They both stared out of the window, across the darkening grounds, completely lost in their own thoughts. Minerva's head was spinning, she didn't know what to think or feel, but the thought that he seemed to be genuinely considering fighting terrified her. _

'_Will you?' she said, finally breaking the silence, her voice cracking slightly as she fought back the urge to cry. 'Will you fight him?' he thought for a moment, clearly he had not yet formed his conclusion, but it seemed the choice was being made for him._

'_In the end I think I'll have to. I don't wish to, but for the safety of the rest of the world I fear I have no choice.' She looked into his sad eyes, no sparkle remained now and they seemed to have darkened with the weight of his sorrow. His hand returned to her shoulder as he turned to face her. She could no longer hold back her tears; they flowed freely down her cheeks and ran onto her robes. 'Oh Minerva.' He pulled her into his arms and allowed her to cry, gently rubbing his hands over her back. _

'_You' she began, choking back her sobs. 'You can't die for him…y-you can't'_

'_I don't intend to my dear.' She had lifted her head to look up at him. With his thumb he gently stroked her cheek, wiping away the dried tears staining them. This was a pointless exercise as there were still tears falling, but he continued anyway. _

_The room was completely silent and they were alone. Their eyes were locked together, neither one chose to break their gaze. The tension in the room was mounting, as was a feeling, deep in Minerva's stomach that she couldn't quite place. Albus leaned his head down slightly resting his nose against hers. They smiled at each other. Ever so slightly he tipped his head down; his lips were almost touching hers, but not quite. _

'_Minerva' he whispered, his lips brushing hers. She closed the gap between them, pressing her soft lips to his, sliding her arms around his waist. Gently she moved her mouth, deepening the kiss, needing to feel him respond. He did, pulling her closer to him. She opened her mouth slightly, touching her tongue against his lips. He responded, allowing her to enter his mouth and retuning his own tongue to her mouth. They continued to explore each other's mouths like this for a few more moments, before Albus pulled away realising what he was doing. He tried to step away from her but her arms remained surprisingly strong around him. 'We can't' he muttered, unconvincingly. _

'_I know.' She nodded. 'But I won't ever regret it.' He rested his forehead against hers. They stayed silent for a while, the sun slowly setting behind the lake. Eventually Minerva spoke again. 'Don't go to him alone, there are still plenty of aurors to fight too. If we lose you he's as good as won; we don't stand a chance.' _

'_I'll be as prepared as I can and I'll make sure I have the best resources at my disposal he reassured her.' He placed a kiss on her forehead._

'_I'll be waiting.' She started. 'When all this is over, I'll have graduated and…' she trailed off. _

'_I'm falling in love with you, Minerva.' He said, not entirely sure whether he had meant to say it aloud or not. _

'_I know' she replied, 'I think I already fell.' She smiled at him. _

'_You really want to wait for an old man.' He gave a small smirk, stroking her cheeks again. _

'_Always.' _


	5. Chapter 5

With the world falling apart around her, the unstoppable force of Gellert Grindlewald tearing across Europe like a hurricane, leaving torture, death and destruction in his path and the very terrifying prospect of Albus Dumbledore standing in the firing line, willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of humanity. Minerva knew what her career path would have to be. She had not told anyone of her plans aside from Poppy. The other students would laugh; her mother would be distraught and attempt to convince her out of her plans as would her favourite professor. But she had made up her mind. She knew what she had to do.

_Minerva stepped of the Hogwarts Express for the final time as a student of Hogwarts, her trunk shrunken in her pocket. She hugged Poppy and the pair marched across the platform towards the barrier. They proceeded into a quiet street and paused. _

'_Good luck, Poppy. You're going to make a fantastic healer.' Minerva said, barely meeting the other woman's' gaze. Poppy took a deep breath. _

'_I can't believe you're going to do this, Min. I know you are strong and brave and talented, and I know you can do it. You will make an amazing auror. But I don't want to lose the best friend I have ever had.' Thick tears were falling down both of their cheeks. _

'_I have to…I have to help.' She faltered, her voice cracking slightly. 'He's going to fight him. He's going to fight Grindlewald. I have to help. I have to do everything I can. I couldn't forgive myself if something happened and I hadn't.'_

'_I know. Always the brave Gryffindor lioness, Minerva. Just promise me that I won't have to see you on one of my wards…please.' Minerva nodded. _

'_Not with anything fatal, Poppy, I promise.' They both stared at each other, tears still falling, hands clasped in each other's. They hugged one final time and apparated, still staring into each other's eyes. Minerva to the Ministry of Magic's auror office and Poppy to St. Mungo's hospital, both hoping their next meeting would be a happier one. _

#####

Minerva passed all her entrance exams to the auror office with full marks and was quickly promoted through the ranks. At a time when aurors were highest risk, in shortest supply and being slaughtered like animals before Grindlewald's army, a talented and skilled witch like Minerva was a huge asset to the team, especially when very few were aware of her animagus abilities. She was of course registered, but she had allowed that to slip by unnoticed by the wider community. She was proud of everything she had achieved in those first few months, but by the following summer things were getting worse. Grindlewald's power was reaching horrifying strength and his attacks were becoming more vicious and more frequent.

_It was late one evening when the worst happened. Minerva had stayed late at the ministry office, in a meeting with the head of the auror office, the Minister for Magic and several other high ranking ministry officials. They were all sitting around a magically extended table in the Minister's office, arguing over their next move, when a loud crack and a ball of fire appeared in the centre of the table. A large phoenix emerged from the flames and deposited a letter before the minister, before landing in front of Minerva, who absent-mindedly started stroking him as she watched the minister read the letter. _

'_He's gone to fight him.' The minister stated. Minerva's stomach did an uncomfortable summersault, she felt as if she was going to be sick. Confused glances passed between several of the other officials, only the minister, the head of the auror office, and headmaster Dippet had been aware of the conversation in Dumbledore's office over a year before. _

'_About time too.' Elphinstone Urquart, the head of the auror office mumbled, although clearly enough for all at the table to hear. Minerva glared at him. _

'_He's gone, on his own, to fight Grindlewald.' She said angrily, waiting to see the man's reaction. _

'_He's the only one with any real hope of defeating him, you know that, Minerva. What else can we say?' Elphinstone replied. _

'_Yes! He could defeat him on his own, but it doesn't mean he should! You could say you're going to send some of us to fight with him. The odd healer, just in case! A bit of back up perhaps? He's not going to let Albus attack him without back up! The best chance we've got of defeating Grindlewald is to give him everything we've got! This is our chance! ' She knew she was making a scene, but she didn't really care. _

'_Minerva calm down.' It was the minister that spoke this time. She flashed her angry green eyes in his direction. 'He hasn't said where he is. Half the problem is we've got no bloody idea where Grindlewald's headquarters are. So how on earth are we supposed to help the mighty Albus Dumbledore if he won't consent to inform us of where his grand plan to save the world will take place?' Minerva was fuming, why could they not see? Why were they not jumping to action and attempting to find out? How could they not realise the answer was sitting in front of them and that Albus had given them a very obvious clue but had cautiously made it obscure to avoid the information being useful in the wrong hands? She took a calming breath, suddenly aware that she was on her feet and shaking. She turned to her senior. _

'_Elphinstone, how many aurors are in the Ministry at the moment?'_

'_About twenty-five or so I think and about the same again on call. Why?' She took another calming breath, trying not to allow her superiors' ignorance to anger her further. _

'_Then I suggest you get them all in here.' He still looked puzzled, as did most of the other wizards around the table. A small thin witch at the far side of the table gave a small cough. She would have been completely unseen between the two tall, broad wizards either side of her had it not been for her bright pink robes. _

'_Excuse me if I misunderstood, but I thought we had just established that we have no idea of the whereabouts of Grindlewald or Dumbledore or where this duel will take place.' Minerva rolled her eyes. _

'_Yes...' Minerva started._

'_Well, then' the woman interrupted in a highly patronising tone. 'I don't really see what we are able to do until we have this vital piece of information.' Minerva inhaled and exhaled slowly, she was losing her ability to control her temper now. _

'_Are you aware of whom this is?' she asked the woman, indicating Fawkes who still sat on the desk before her. The woman shook her head, staring at Minerva, batting her eyelashes. 'This is Fawkes, he belongs to Professor Dumbledore and is the most loyal and trusted friend he has. He has sent Fawkes to deliver his message, to enable us to find him.' The woman still looked unconvinced. _

'_And is Fawkes going to tell us of the whereabouts of these men?' she enquired, addressing Minerva in a high pitched girly voice as if she were a small child. _

'_Fawkes is a phoenix! He can apparate anywhere, he doesn't need to tell us. He will simply take as many aurors exactly where they need to go. He is also clever enough not to drop us directly into the middle of the duel.' She turned her head to Elphinstone at this point who was still looking unconvinced. She sighed, exasperated. She couldn't believe the people that were supposed to be in charge seemed to have no understanding of magic at all. 'Are you going to send for anyone or not?' she asked. 'We're wasting precious time!' They all looked uncomfortable. _

'_We'd really like to confirm their location before we deploy our defences.' Minerva snapped._

'_ALBUS COULD BE DEAD BY THEN!' she yelled, completely losing all control of her temper. 'HE MAY BE THE MOST POWERFUL DEFENSE WE HAVE, BUT HE'S NOT INVINCIBLE! HE PROBABLY CAN DEFEAT GRINDLEWALD SINGLE HANDED, BUT WE HAVE THE MEANS TO DO SOMETHING SO WE SHOULD!' the others were looking uncomfortable. 'United we have a better chance of defeating him. Yes, it'll be dangerous to go in unaware of the surroundings or the situation. But he shouldn't have to fight alone. I trained to be an auror to protect my world from evil like Grindlewald and that is exactly what I intend to do. I'm going to fight. I'll send Fawkes back in case you consent to help.' With that she stood and took hold of Fawkes and vanished with a loud bang. She knew she shouldn't have lost her temper with them, it would certainly raise a few questions, but she had no choice. They had already wasted far too much time. _

_She found herself on the edge of a dark forest. She had been right to assume Fawkes would take her to somewhere hidden to prevent Grindlewald from being alerted to her presence. The bird was resting his head on her leg as she knelt on the floor. She scanned the immediate area and was satisfied they were alone_

'_Fetch Poppy.' She whispered. 'Then see if any of the aurors are planning on coming and bring them here. If we need you in the meantime I'll call.' She finished. The phoenix gave a nod and vanished. Minerva looked around once more, searching for any sign of Albus or Grindlewald. She strained her ears listening for a sound, her wand tightly grasped in her hand. She could hear voices in a clearing to the right. She held her breath, trying to catch what they were saying. _

'_Surely you know you can never win, Albus.' A voice cackled. 'You were foolish to come alone.' _

'_As were you.' Replied a familiar warm voice. Relief flooded Minerva. He was still alive and sounded unharmed. _

_Fawkes appeared beside Minerva again. A dishevelled and stunned Poppy Pomfrey was now sitting beside her. Minerva clapped her hand to her friends' mouth before she had chance to speak and break their cover. She nodded to Fawkes who vanished once more and indicated to her friend that they weren't alone. Poppy's eyes widened in horror. Slowly the two women crept away from the scene, to a safe distance where they were able to whisper to each other. _

'_He came alone. The auror office hasn't sent anyone yet. I thought I'd better have some help in case…' she couldn't finish the sentence. 'I'm going to change and see if I can get nearer. Stay here and stay hidden. You'll know if I need help. If the aurors come…' she trailed off again. Poppy hugged her friend and nodded. Minerva transfigured into her silver grey tabby cat and crept nearer to the two wizards. She slipped into the undergrowth surrounding the clearing and peered through the branches of a small bush. Both men stood, wands raised. _

'_So you're going to fight me then, Albus?' Grindlewald asked, in a manner befitting someone enquiring about plans for dinner. _

'_If it comes to that.' Albus replied. _

'_But I thought this is what you wanted. The purity of magic, ridding the world of less than pure magical blood. Reigning over the Muggles as the superior race that we are. Come on, you remember!'_

'_Yes.' Albus agreed wearily. 'But I remember being an upset, angry teenager whose sister had been driven to madness by two muggle boys. Grieving for a mother who had been killed because my sister had no control over her magic. Hating a father who had no interest in his family, committed murder and been sent to Azkaban. I'm not proud of what we discussed back then, Gellert. And now I see the truth. All magic is pure, no matter what form it takes, regardless of the parentage. We are not better than muggles, we are just different. But the needless slaughter of magic and muggle is wrong. YOU are wrong.' Grindlewald stared angrily at Dumbledore, whose expression remained calm and unemotional. _

'_You are the one who is wrong, Dumbledore. We are superior; we can do more than they ever could. Why should we not dominate them! They have persecuted us enough!' _

'_You are still wrong, Gellert.' Albus repeated. Watching as the wizard before him became angrier. _

'_I didn't want to have to kill you, Dumbledore. I do rather like you. I wanted your expertise when I take over completely. But if you are going to challenge me then I see no choice but to take you out of the way.' _

'_I will never join your side. Your actions are wrong and you cannot succeed. You are also wrong to assume that you will win.' A gleeful smile spread across Grindlewald's face. _

'_I have the elder wand.' _

'_I know. But it does not make you invincible. It does not guarantee you will be victorious. Did the tale of three brothers teach you nothing?' Grindlewald laughed again. _

'_Fairy tales, Dumbledore! Reading you students bedtimes stories, are we? I have the most powerful wand ever made. You don't stand a chance.' _

'_We'll see.' Grindlewald became angry and shot a stunning spell at Albus, who cleanly deflected it. A fiery serpent left the end of Grindlewald's wand and swirled around them diving and darting towards Albus. A strong jet of water shot out of Albus' wand, towering over the snake and crashing down upon it. It pulled back before diving again at Grindlewald. Shards of ice formed and sped back in Dumbledore's direction. It was his turn with the fire now the shards vanished in a cloud of hot steam as they met the fiery phoenix that soared before Dumbledore. The duel continued in this vain, both commanding the elements in a beautiful dance, the spectacle mesmerising Minerva. Despite the danger she was enchanted by the beauty and power of the two men's duel. _

_Between the dance of fire and ice, each through jinxes and hexes at each other both would be badly scarred whatever the outcome. _

_Movement in the shadows on the far side of the clearing suddenly caught her eye. There was someone in there. She crept around the edge in an attempt to find out who it was. It was then she realised. Grindlewald's men. There must have been a dozen of them, concealed by the trees, wands raised, ready to strike. Minerva slipped unnoticed in her cat form stunning as many as she could without them noticing. Looking up she spotted the last one, standing a few feet into the forest, directly behind Albus, wand held high, an evil malicious grin on his face. Minerva knew he would have orders to stun or injure only, it would be Grindlewald who would murder him. She could see him making his decision, light erupting from the end of his wand, she had no choice. The tabby cat darted like a bullet, directly across the clearing towards the wizard behind Albus. Both duelling wizards seemed startled for a moment. As Minerva reached Albus' side she transfigured back into herself. _

'_STUPIFY!' She shouted at the wizard, wand raised. He froze falling back to the ground, shock printed across his face, the light at the end of his wand dying before it had chance to fully form. _

_A jet of red light shot back across the clearing hitting Grindlewald squarely in the chest. Albus had recovered quicker from Minerva's appearance and had been first to react. Grindlewald fell back, the same shocked expression on his face. _

'_Petrificus totallus.' He said softly and the man's body froze, rigid on the floor. He then turned to Minerva. _

'_How many more?' he asked softly. _

'_About twenty-five, all stunned.' She stated; her breath was ragged from the sudden rush of adrenaline, but relief flooding through her. 'What are you going to do with him?' she asked, indicating Grindlewald. _

'_Azkaban can have him. I don't want his blood on my hands.' Minerva nodded, smiling proudly at him. Their eyes were locked together staring; small smiles were spread across each of their faces. Albus took her hand in his, running his thumb slowly across the back. She placed her other hand on his arm. 'Thank you' he whispered softly. _

'_You did all the work. I just made sure he played fair.' _

'_Even so, I'd probably be worse off without you.' He smiled, taking a small step closer to her, his other hand moved to rest on her hip. _

'_I would be worse off without you.' She whispered. They had both leaned forward with this statement, their noses almost touching. Albus made the final small movement and their lips met, softly at first, but passion took hold and each pressed harder against the other. Their arms circled each other and their bodies were pressed close together. They both urged each other to deepen the kiss, flashes of the night in his classroom returning to them. _

_A loud bang and the sounds of voices somewhere in the trees caused the pair to leap apart. Wands raised the scanned the darkness. _

'_Aurors.' Minerva whispered. _

'_Better late than never.' Albus muttered in her ear. He stood behind her, his hand resting on the small of her back. She turned back to look at him with a small smile. It was then she noticed the blood, pouring from his left arm, soaking his robes at an alarming rate. _

'_You're bleeding!' she cried in horror. She conjured a thin piece of cloth and wrapped it round the wound tightly. 'Poppy's here. We need to get you fixed up. I didn't rescue you so you could bleed to death.' She added, causing him to chuckle. She let him through the trees to where she had left Poppy. The aurors were milling around surveying the situation. Poppy leapt up immediately and began tending to Albus' cuts and a nasty stinging jinx that had caught his left ear. He stood silently as she worked on him. Ignoring the confused looks of the aurors, who seemed unsure of how to handle the situation. Several of them had turned their attention to Minerva. 'Grindlewald's on the floor in the clearing, he's stunned and in a full body bind, as are a number of his followers. I'm sure you can clear up the mess and have them all taken to Azkaban.' _

'_Min.' Poppy said, gaining her friends attention instantly. 'I want to take him to St. Mungo's' she whispered to her, trying to avoid the aurors hearing. 'I can't stop the bleeding. I need to know what spell hit him and I can't do that easily here.' Minerva nodded and sat back next to Albus. His face was pale and his eyes were glazing over. _

'_Albus, stay with me. Look at me.' She urged. He did so. 'We need to know what spell hit your arm. Can you remember?' He shook his head. His eyes were darting about in their sockets, unable to focus on anything. Minerva could see he was losing consciousness quickly and they needed to act. Both Minerva and Poppy put their arms around Albus and Poppy apparated all three of them back to St. Mungo's hospital. The two women carried him through the entrance into the reception, before Minerva took out her wand, levitating his barely conscious body through the corridors. Fortunately, being late at night the hospital was relatively quiet. _

_They found an empty room in the emergency ward and laid him on the bed. Poppy alerted several other healers and they began working quickly to determine what was happening. The healers were becoming more and more frantic, rushing about and firing instructions and details of his condition. Minerva sank onto a chair a little away from the bed, watching the scene before her. Her heart was pounding. He couldn't die. He couldn't. She wrung her hands in her lap, trying desperately to find some way she could help. There was a sudden hush surrounding the healers. Poppy looked up, her eyes were sad, filling with tears as they met with Minerva's. _

'_No.' Minerva said. Tears welling further, Poppy shook her head. The silence in the room was deafening and the next few seconds seemed to last an eternity. Minerva's mind was spinning. 'No! No! No!' her mind was screaming. _

_######_

_Sorry for the suspense! Next chapter is just being proof read!_


	6. Chapter 6

_In those few seconds Minerva's heart shattered into pieces. She understood her love for Albus more clearly than she had ever done before. It wasn't an infatuation, a teenage crush or merely lust. She loved him; truly, passionately, deeply, she loved him. _

_Her mind suddenly stopped its dizzying panic. _

'_FAWKES!' She shouted. Poppy gasped, the other healers were looking at the two young women, confused. With a bang, a beautiful, golden orange phoenix appeared above Albus' body. Minerva rushed across to stand beside the bed. Fawkes rested on his master's chest, leaning his head down he began to sing, tears falling on Albus' wounds. Minerva had grasped his hand in hers, silently praying the phoenix's powers were strong enough. _

_After what felt like several decades later to Minerva, the hand she was holding gave her a light squeeze back. _

Following the battle there had been mass excitement across the wizarding world, with every magazine, paper and over-excited witch and wizard wanting a play by play account of what had happened. Albus refused to comment. He gave one statement of the events to the ministry, refusing for the details to be made public. He knew what would happen if the press got wind of Minerva's involvement and she was glad he had thought of her. She didn't want the fame and danger that would come with this revelation. Grindlewald still had followers despite his defeat and they would have happily murdered the witch who had interfered with their masters' plans and lead to his fall. The followers who had been stunned by Minerva had had their memories carefully modified by the aurors before they were taken to Azkaban, to avoid negative repercussions against Minerva.

After the battle it had been several days before Minerva had seen Albus again. She had thought about him almost constantly in the intervening time, but had not had chance to speak to him as the hospital had enforced a family only rule and without raising suspicions from the other healers she couldn't cause a fuss.

_She was sitting on the edge of a swing in a muggle children's playground when he found her, staring blankly across a foggy, damp football pitch. _

'_Lovely weather we're having this time of year.' He said, coming to rest on the empty swing next to her. She laughed. _

'_Only you would start a conversation about the weather after everything that has happened this week.' He smiled._

'_Something's troubling you.' He observed. She raised an eyebrow. 'Besides the obvious. I'm fine by the way, all healed.'_

'_Do you remember the night I became my animagus for the first time?' She asked, still not taking her eyes off the football pitch. _

'_Of course.' _

'_I had a letter that morning from my mother. Both of her brothers, my uncles, had been aurors. They had been killed the night before by Grindlewald personally. I was terrified they would come after my mother. That's why I changed my mind about the Institute of Transfiguration. I wanted to fight. They didn't deserve to die.' She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. 'I loved them and I couldn't bear the thought of losing anyone else I loved to him.'_

'_Is that why you came after me?' he asked. 'Because you loved me?' _

'_You know I do.' She surrendered, tipping her gaze to the floor. 'No one else plays chess like you do and no one else debates with me like you do.' She paused, not sure if she dared to reveal her third statement. But taking a deep breath she summoned her Gryffindor courage. 'And no one else looks at me the way you do.' She finished, still not daring to lift her eyes to look at him. He reached over to her chin and tilted her face towards him. A smile had spread across his face and his eyes twinkled lovingly at her. She allowed a smile to spread across her own face now. 'I know it shouldn't be. You were my teacher and I shouldn't feel this way but…That night, I meant what I said. I do…I love you…' she trailed off. _

'_I know' he sighed. Taking her hand in his they sat in comfortable silence for a while, neither sure how much time had passed, but neither really cared. _

They saw each other regularly over the next few months, always avoiding public places where they would likely be spotted together by too many people. Both were unsure of where they were going, but were content to be together, satisfied that they both loved each other, wherever the relationship was heading. Minerva had remained at the auror office, taking on several small assignments but she was losing interest in the department. Both she and Albus had become more regular attendees of lectures at the transfiguration institute, often sparking fierce debate among the entire audience of academics over the course of each lecture. They made sure to appear friends, in order to deter suspicion that they were in a relationship as neither were sure they wanted it to be public knowledge just yet.

_Sorry it's a bit short, but there is more on the way! _


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for all the lovely reviews, I really appreciate your comments.

DarthVandola – I am planning to dip back into some of her schooldays, but most of it isn't relevant to the MMADness! I'd rather write about them than dwell on too much of the other bits. I have grand plans for them! :D x

I plan to get a couple more updates in before Christmas, but I'll have to see how it goes. There is a nice festive chapter I want to put up if I can get to it!

Enjoy!

#####

In her short twenty-one years, Minerva had only ever believed she had been in love once before, but this relationship, had never been destined to succeed. He was a muggle boy, he lived in the same village she did near Caithness in Scotland. His name was Dougal McGregor. She had met him in the first summer after she left Hogwarts when she had returned home between her auror training. By the end of the summer, Dougal had proposed. She accepted, but when faced with the prospect of telling her parents she realised the match was a mistake. Since her marriage, her mother had kept her wand locked in a box under her bed, not using magic. Dougal didn't know what Minerva was and the prospect of following in her mother's footsteps had scared her. She couldn't keep her wand locked away like that. She had no choice but to turn down his offer. She also was harbouring a crush for a certain transfiguration professor that she had yet to reconcile. So she had left, returned to London to continue her auror training and not looked back.

_It was late one sunny evening in May and Minerva was sitting on the balcony of her small flat in London, looking out over the roof tops admiring the changing colours of the sky. Her thoughts, as they so often were, were of Albus. She thought back to her summer with Dougal, she had loved him, she knew that, but the way she felt for Albus was much more than just loving him. She couldn't imagine her life without him in it. She had never loved anyone as much as she loved him._

'_Mad-eye would have a fit if he saw you sitting their unarmed and unprotected.' A warm voice startled her from her thoughts. She turned, smiling lovingly at him, but her face fell when she met his gaze. His eyes were dull and dark shadows were visible under his them and his face looked grey and sad. He nodded sadly before she could ask the question. 'Armando Dippet died in his sleep last night.' Minerva stood, walked towards him and pulled him into a hug. His arms slid around her waist and she pulled him into a tighter hug. _

'_I'm so sorry.' She whispered, caressing his back with her soft hands. He rested his head on her shoulder, nestling his face into her neck. She kissed the side of his head. They stood in each other's arms, unaware of how much time had passed. 'Do you want to stay here tonight?' She asked, finally breaking the comfortable silence. They had spent nights together in the past few months, but they had yet to consummate their relationship, both enjoying the luxury of time together over their passion. _

'_I'd better not.' Minerva's heart fell. 'I want to.' He continued as he felt her disappointment. 'I have meetings with the governors first thing.' She was about to respond when an idea seemed to occur to him. 'I wouldn't say no to a guest in my dormitory though.' He said lifting his head to smile at her. She grinned. _

'_I thought we were supposed to be keeping us on the quiet.' She asked, very aware of the agreement they had come to about keeping their relationship out of the public eye, both for their freedom and safety._

'_Being headmaster has to have some advantages.' He stated. 'You can stay in my rooms; no one needs to know you're there if you would be happier with that.' Minerva nodded. _

'_Thank you. I'd like to attend the funeral though.' _

'_Of course, would Miss Pomfrey wish to join you?' Minerva nodded again._

'_I should think so; I'll send her an owl in the morning.' She rested her hand on his upper arm. 'It's going to be alright, Albus.' He leant in and kissed her cheek. _

'_Thank you.' _

Minerva spent her first night back in the castle since her school days. She loved the feel of the old stone building, its roaring fires, ancient tapestries and fine paintings. Hogwarts was the only place she ever felt truly home and being beside Albus made the experience all the more wonderful. She stayed hidden in Albus' rooms for the next week before the funeral, only the house elves knew she was there.

_The evening after the funeral she sat at the dressing table, carefully unpinning her long dark hair. Looking up she caught sight of Albus in the mirror; he was staring out of the window over the dark grounds. _

'_It was a lovely service, you gave a wonderful speech.' He turned towards her and gave a small smile. _

'_I wanted to ask you something.' He said, walking across the room and resting on the edge of a wooden chest at the end of the bed. 'I had a meeting with the governors yesterday, there have been no applications regarding a vacant teaching post and I am struggling to appoint a Head of Gryffindor house. The problem being, none of my staff are Gryffindors.' Minerva smiled. _

'_So, what are you intending to do about it?' she enquired, reaching for her hairbrush and running it through her hair. _

'_I was hoping a lovely previous student, with a talent for transfiguration, whom happens to have been a Gryffindor, would take the post.' She raised an eyebrow at him. _

'_Oh, and do I know her.' She asked coyly. _

'_Minerva, you know what I'm asking you.' _

'_I do, but what would people think, Albus. If they knew that we… if they…' She couldn't finish. _

'_But they don't know.'_

'_Yes, but…' Albus held up his hand. _

'_It was the governors that suggested you Minerva, several of them have been on the receiving end of your questions at the Institute lectures.' Minerva smiled and nodded. 'Be my transfiguration teacher. I don't want to ask anyone else.' _

'_I'd do anything for you, Albus.' She answered honestly. _

'_I know, but I want you to do this for you.' She grinned. _

'_You know I always wanted to come back' she gazed around the room. 'There's nowhere else I'd rather be.' _

'_Hogwarts will always be here to welcome you home.' He stated. _

'_You could write greetings cards!' she exclaimed, tears filling her eyes. 'You really want me to come back?'_

'_Yes!' _

'_All right then, headmaster. I shall be your new transfiguration professor.'_

'_And Head of Gryffindor?' _

'_Go on then.' She stood and allowed herself to be pulled into his arms for a hug._

'_Thank you.' He said, kissing her cheeks, her forehead, and then her lips. Minerva giggled. 'Would you like me to show you around your new rooms?' he asked._

'_I'd rather stay here with you.' Albus placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and turned her to face the fireplace. _

'_Who is that?' he asked indicating the portrait above the fireplace._

'_Godric Gryffindor.' She stated in a 'surely that was obvious' type voice. _

'_When I formally accept the Headmaster's job I'll have to move into Armando's office and rooms, that means,' He continued, slipping his arms around her waist and hugging her to him. 'These are now your rooms.' He began kissing her neck and caressing her stomach with his thumbs. His kisses became more intense as he nibbled her collar bone, eliciting a moan from Minerva's lips. 'Can I offer you a tour, Professor McGonagall?' With Minerva still wrapped in his arms in front of him, he walked across the sitting room to the bathroom. 'Here is your bath ma'am' he stated. Minerva laughed. _

'_Please may I have a demonstration, Headmaster?' she asked. _

'_Certainly.' He replied, both exchanging broad grins. Albus let go of Minerva to reach across to the taps, turning them to fill the tub with water and waving his arm to magically secure the plug, all the time his fingers remained laced with hers. He seated himself on the edge of the tub and pulled her across to him. He reached up to the buttons on the front of her long black dress. He paused, looking up to her face for approval, she smiled and nodded. He began carefully undoing the buttons, down to her waist. He reached up to her shoulders and pushed the dress from them, allowing it to fall to the floor. She blushed slightly as she heard him gasp. She stood in a black silk bra and matching knickers and nothing more. 'You're beautiful' he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her stomach. His thumbs caressed her hip bones as he continued to kiss her stomach. She allowed a small moan to escape her lips. Carefully taking hold of his hands, Minerva pulled Albus to stand. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips before silently making his robes disappear. Albus raised an eyebrow 'You'd make an excellent charms teacher I see as well, Miss McGonagall!' he chuckled 'Ten points to Gryffindor for an excellent vanishing charm.' _

'_Banishing actually Professor; you'll find that your robes have been banished to the sitting room. They are neatly folded on the chair.'_

'_Indeed.' _

'_Finite.' She said, peering behind him to check the water, which was threatening to overflow. 'Care to join me?' she asked, letting go of his hands to unhook her bra, which dropped to the floor on top of her crumpled dress. His eyes fell to her breasts as he nodded. Minerva giggled, stepping past him and removing her knickers as she stepped into the tub. Albus stepped in and sat behind her, reaching for a soft sponge, he began to wash her shoulders. He trailed kisses along behind his movements with the sponge. She sighed contentedly. _

'_Happy, my love?' he asked, chuckling. _

'_I am.' _

'_Do I have anything to do with it?' He asked._

'_You have everything to do with it.' She answered honestly. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled him to her chest. He kissed her hair. 'When I was at school I got this lovely warm feeling whenever I saw you. Every week your lessons and our evening classes were the one thing I looked forward to the most. I never understood what the feeling was, but I wanted more of it whatever it was.' She paused. 'The summer after I left I met someone, a muggle boy in the village. We had a wonderful summer together and I really liked him and I think I did love him, but it always felt like there was something missing. He proposed, when I went to tell my parents I realised the problem. My mother fell in love with and married a muggle, she was happy to an extent, but she gave up magic because of him. I knew I couldn't do the same.'_

'_That was a brave choice to make, my dear.' Albus observed._

'_After you defeated Grindlewald, when you were lying on that bed, when I thought I was going to lose you I realised the other problem. He wasn't you. I couldn't be with him because he wasn't you. I was in love with you and he was never going to be good enough.' Albus snuggled her tighter. _

'_Being with me isn't without sacrifice, Minerva.' He said his voice now heavy and sad._

'_I'm happy to make a sacrifice for love; it just has to be the right sacrifice. My mother was happy to give up magic, I'm happy to keep our relationship a secret. It doesn't matter that nobody knows about us, as long as we know.' _

'_I wish it didn't have to be this way. I'd love to shout my feelings off the top of the astronomy tower so the whole world can hear me. But if I did I'd be putting you in danger. I have plenty of potential enemies, even without Grindlewald and I'm not willing to risk your life for them. I don't want to lose the best thing to ever happen to me.' A tear trickled down Minerva's cheek. _

'_That's what I am?' she asked, turning to face him, kneeling between his legs. 'I'm the best…' she trailed off, the words choking in her throat._

'_Yes.' He said placing a kiss on her lips and wiping the tear away with his thumb. 'You are kind and brave, beautiful and honest, intelligent and funny and I love you. And you love me for me, the foolish old man behind the name. Not because of what you think the mighty Albus Dumbledore should be like.' She kissed him fully on the lips, grasping his hips to pull herself closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her once more and returned the kiss pulling her in deeper. Their tongues intertwined the passion between them exploded. Albus leant back, pulling her on top of him, splashing some of the water out onto the floor. _

_Eventually, their embrace had to break. Both breathless a flushed they grinned at each other. Minerva sat back, straddling Albus' thighs. He sat up, resting his hands on her lower back, gripping her hips. _

'_Well Headmaster,' she said breaking the silence, 'the bath is certainly satisfactory. The water is getting a little chilly though; may you show me the bedroom so I can warm up?' Albus laughed as Minerva stood and stepped out of the water. She cast a drying charm over herself as he followed. He reached for one of the soft, thick, cream towels on the rail and wrapped her in it. He scooped her into his arms and carried her through to the bedroom, eliciting a giggle from her lips. _

_Lowering her onto the sheets, Albus found himself pulled on top of her, his lips meeting hers once more. Slowly and gently he made love to her for the first time. Kissing every inch of her body, showing her how much he truly loved her. _

The meeting with the governors the following day had been a great success, they were all aware of her reputation at the Transfiguration Institute's lectures and all had marvelled at her perfect 'outstanding' exam scores. They were also impressed with her reference from the auror office. Despite her insubordination regarding the attack on Grindlewald, the result had made her decisions the right one. Elphinstone Urquart had been impressed with Minerva's conviction, perseverance and determination. She would, he believed, make an excellent teacher. He was secretly disappointed that she had never shown an interest in him, but in the interest of her happiness, he wanted her to have the job she desired.


	8. Chapter 8

Here is you festive update! This'll probably be the last one before Christmas, some crazy fool agreed to work Christmas Eve afternoon before the family descend!

I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for sticking with me this far, plenty more to come the list of potential chapters is growing so could be going a while! As always your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Merry Christmas to all MMAD fans! I hope you enjoy their little Christmas moment together. xx

#####

When Minerva considered her first years of teaching, she was always amazed at how quickly the time had passed. She was so engrossed in planning, organising, teaching and marking that the time that elapsed seemed to pass her by. Once she had her alphabetised, over-organised systems in place she regained her free time, but until them the passage of time blurred.

Her relationship with Albus remained steady and constant; both with huge responsibilities and commitments weighing on them, the time they spent together was precious. Their similarities of character and professional demands meant neither was concerned or offended if the other was called away to deal with an urgent matter at all hours of the day and night. This understanding bound their relationship more strongly, they realised the strains the other faced and supported each other, rather than being consumed with anger and annoyance when their time together was limited or cut abruptly and inconsiderately short. They took great joy and pleasure in the small moments that they could. They learned to communicate with small glances and gestures that others did not see; shared brief stolen kisses in quiet unoccupied corners with the promise of later and long summer's days free from students and staff.

_Minerva watched as her sixth year class filled out of the room, four girls paused by the door, stepping back to allow their headmaster to enter the room. He smiled and thanked them before proceeding towards Minerva's desk. _

'_Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall.' He smiled across the room at her as several more students walked passed. One or two remained, repacking heavy textbooks into their bags. _

'_Good afternoon, Headmaster.' She replied warmly, 'What can I do for you?'_

'_I just wanted to make sure there weren't any problems while I was away and to check our chess game this evening was still going ahead.' He reached the front of the room and sat himself on the front desk. Minerva raised an eyebrow._

'_No problems to report, one or two sleepwalkers but they were directed back to their dormitories.' They grinned at each other. 'And chess would be lovely; I do believe it is my turn to win.' Albus laughed, startling the two students still in the classroom. _

'_You won last time Professor, I believe it is in fact my turn.' _

'_I won fairly last time and the time before…'_

'_And at least fifteen times before that!' he interrupted. 'I think I need a new chess partner, this isn't fair.' Albus turned to the two girls by the door, 'don't play her at chess' he advised them. They both laughed and left the room. Minerva through a scrunched up bit of parchment at him, which he duly through back at her. She crossed the room to the door, briefly checking the corridor outside was clear, she closed and locked it. She muttered a silencing charm before turning back to Albus. He was now standing at the front of the room facing her, his arms spread out wide. Minerva grinned, running the length of the classroom into his open arms. He wrapped them around her, hugging her close to him, his lips meeting hers. _

'_I missed you.' She whispered, burying her head in his chest. _

'_I missed you too. I'm sure there is some ministry legislation that states that meetings cannot end until at least twenty per cent of the attendees are bored to insanity!' Minerva laughed. _

'_And are you now insane?' she asked._

'_You'll probably say I already was, I beg to differ and I think everyone sitting at the table must think I am by now.'_

'_Oh?' she lifted her head to look at him._

'_I kept thinking about you. We really should refrain from making love before I leave for these meetings, every time I thought of you I smiled. The man opposite was giving me some strange looks by the end.' Minerva laughed._

'_And that is my fault I assume?'_

'_Naturally.' He replied innocently._

'_Nothing to do with the fact that I'd barely entered your office before you'd got me half naked on the desk.'_

'_You shouldn't be so beautiful that I have no choice but to want you!' Minerva curved her eyebrows. _

'_I can do something about it if it is a problem for you, Headmaster.' _

'_Never.' He kissed the top of her head. 'You're perfect, my Minerva, don't change a thing.'_

_#####_

As the memory faded Minerva instinctively felt for the silver rings that invisibly encircled the third finger on her left hand.

'Revelamini' she muttered, looking down at them as they appeared. Two thin silver branches of silver twisted around each other, one had a small diamond in the centre, and the other had thin silver leaves twisted around the band. The diamond sparkled in the sunlight from the window. She smiled down at them. She had never seen a more beautiful piece of jewellery. She adored them because they were beautiful, but mostly because he had given her them. She allowed her mind to wander once more, this time resting on an unusually quiet Christmas Eve, almost fifty years ago.

_For this first time since Minerva had been at Hogwarts both as a student and a teacher, no students had chosen to stay at school over the holidays. Albus had therefore insisted that the staff spend Christmas at home as well. For most this meant returning to families or visiting friends and lovers. Albus and Minerva had been the only ones to stay. Christmas Eve had been spent walking around the grounds, and visiting Albus' brother Aberforth. But they had spent a peaceful evening alone, sharing dinner, wine, and several games of chess. It had been nothing too elaborate, but both had been content to spend the time together. They were now sat side by side on the small sofa, feet resting on a stool. Albus had one arm wrapped around her shoulder and the other across her hip, as she rested her head on his chest, her hand on his stomach. They were both gazing absently into the flames of the softly crackling fire. The clock on the mantel piece chimed gently twelve times. Albus pressed a kiss to the crown of Minervas' head. _

'_Merry Christmas, my Love.' He said, his thumb gently circling her hip bone. _

'_Merry Christmas.' She replied, lifting her head to look into his eyes. _

'_Can I give you your present now?' A mischievous grin had spread across his face. _

'_Hmm.' She responded, sitting herself up a little. 'Will I like it?' she asked. _

'_Yes!' he exclaimed, looking a little hurt. 'When have I ever bought you a present you didn't like?' Minerva raised an eyebrow. _

'_I recall a certain Professor giving me catnip the first time I transformed into my animagus.' She stated, giving him her best McGonagall death glare. He shrunk back into the sofa a little. _

'_I don't recall' he said casually, changing the subject quickly before she could respond. 'Anyway, this present is different. I know you will like it.' He reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a small red velvet box and handed it to her. She took it, sitting up fully to release her arm from underneath her. She traced her finger around the opening of the box. Carefully she lifted the lid, revealing its contents. She let out a small gasp, glassy tears appearing in her eyes. _

'_Oh, Albus' she whispered. Inside the box sat a small silver ring. It resembled a thin tree branch, which twisted and intertwined with small silver leaves around a single, bright, clear cut diamond. _

'_Minerva, I love you. You are the most wonderful, beautiful woman I have ever known. I love being with you and playing chess with you. You're the only one who debates as fiercely as me, probably more fiercely! And I love you. I can't imagine living my life without you by my side, as my deputy, my friend, my lover and hopefully my wife. I know I'm asking a lot to agree to a secret life, hiding our relationship this way, but if the choice is being without you then I don't want to make another choice. I want to wake up beside you every day for the rest of my life. Minerva McGonagall, will you marry me?' he paused 'did I mention I love you?' Minerva laughed tears of joy in her eyes._

'_Once or twice.' She smiled lovingly at him. 'Choosing this life isn't a sacrifice. I love you and I don't want to be without you. As long as I have you, the secret is one I am happy to live with. Of course I'll marry you.' He leant in and pressed his lips against hers. 'I suppose this makes up for the cat nip.' She muttered before leaning in to deepen the kiss, small smiles spread across both of their faces. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Here's the next instalment. This chapter is a little darker in places and refers to rape, if you don't want to read that sort of thing you have been warned (no complaints please). It is only a short part of one paragraph that makes reference to it so I have left the rating for now, but if anyone is unhappy please let me know and I'll change it. **

**Thank you very much DarthVandola for editing and rating advice – You're brilliant! :D**

**Thank you for the reviews, I really appreciate it.**

_**#####**_

After she had left school, Minerva never considered the manipulative, self-important Slytherin boy who had once asked her to the Yule Ball. Despite his threat Minerva hadn't concerned herself with Tom Riddle once since their meeting. She had never taken his threat seriously, or allowed herself to dwell on the potential of it. She didn't even think of his name again until one afternoon in early February when she found Albus sitting at his desk, frowning over a letter that had just arrived.

'_Anything interesting, love?' she asked, entering his office with a pile of parchment clasped in her arms. _

'_Hmm.' Albus murmured. When he finished scanning the letter he looked up and smiled as he realised Minerva was watching him. _

'_Another planet away?' _

'_It would seem so. Sorry, what did you ask me?' He asked, Minerva smiled._

'_I only enquired whether the letter was anything of interest.'_

'_Very interesting.' Albus sighed. Sitting back in his chair and opened his arms for her to join him. She obediently sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his as she did so. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she rested her head on his shoulder. 'Do you remember Tom Riddle? He was the year below you I think.'_

'_Yes I think so,' she replied. 'Slytherin of the very slimy variety.' Albus chuckled. _

'_Indeed. He enquired about the Defencive Arts post the summer after he left. I naturally declined as Professor Merrythought had made no suggestion she wanted to leave and didn't. He has obviously heard of her desire to retire this year and applied again.'_

'_And you don't wish to appoint him?'_

'_No.' Albus sighed heavily. 'He had a rather unhealthy interest in the darker side of the Dark Arts, rather than defence.' Albus was unconsciously rubbing small circles along Minerva's hip with his thumb. 'Of all the students I've ever taught, he concerns me the most. I don't trust what he could be capable of doing.' _

'_As a teacher, or more generally?' Minerva asked, shifting her position slightly so Albus moved his hand. _

'_Both. I don't trust him to teach my students.' He stated simply._

'_Then tell him you don't wish to appoint him, or that you have someone else in mind. You don't really have to give him a reason.' Minerva stated. _

'_I know. If anyone is going to follow Grindelwald and cause another war though, it'll be him.' He ran his hand over his forehead, attempting to massage away the headache that was attempting to take over. Noticing, Minerva reached up and stroked his long fingers. Taking them in her hand she kissed each one, before placing gentle kisses on his head. 'He wants to come up to the castle and meet tomorrow to discuss it.' He continued. Minerva took hold of his hand, gently running her fingers along his. _

'_Then meet him and inform him either you have filled the post or that you do not feel he is a suitable applicant. If you don't want him to have the job because you are concerned about his morality and its impact on our students then don't appoint him. He can't persuade you to sacrifice the safety of our students; it's not a risk I'm willing to take.' Albus nodded. _

'_What would I do without you?' he enquired, kissing her. 'Thank you.' Minerva nodded. _

_They remained quiet for a while, Minerva still in his lap, arms wrapped around him. Both lost themselves in thought for a few moments, until Albus spoke again. _

'_Did you want something when you came up?' he asked, 'You had an arm full of papers.' Minerva smiled._

'_Not really, I brought my marking up. I was going to sit and do it in here with you. We've barely seen each other all week and I was beginning to miss you.' Albus smiled. _

'_When are you returning the work?' he asked._

'_Not until next Thursday, I only taught them this afternoon.'_

'_Leave it for tonight. I'll let Merrythought know we are having a meeting and we'll skip dinner. I'll have the houselves bring something up and we'll have a night alone.'_

'_That sounds lovely.' _

'_Good.' He kissed her nose. 'Shall we adjourn to the sitting room? I feel the sofa may be more comfortable.' Minerva nodded. _

_#####_

_A while later, when their empty dinner plates had vanished and their wine glasses were almost empty; they were curled up on the small sofa. Minerva lay in Albus' arms, her head resting on his chest. _

'_When do I get to marry you then?' Minerva asked. Albus chuckled._

'_Right now?' Albus asked, causing Minerva to giggle. _

'_I'm serious, how are we going to do this? If we don't want anyone to know about us, how are we supposed to get married?' Albus chuckled again. _

'_We'll find…' Albus trailed off, 'a…a…way.' The pitch in Albus' voice increased as an idea dawned on him. 'Minerva, would you have a muggle wedding?' _

'_I don't see why not, they mean the same thing.'_

'_Then how would you like to visit your parents this weekend?' Minerva grinned. _

'_He wouldn't tell a soul.' Minerva thought aloud_

'_I know.' Albus grinned. They both laughed, a plan forming between them. _

_#####_

_The following afternoon, Minerva sat with Albus in his office, waiting for Tom Riddle. As a knock came at the door, Minerva squeezed Albus' hand and placed a kiss on his lips. He nodded, letting her walk towards the door. They exchanged a last loving look before Minerva reached for the door. _

'_Thank you for your assistance, Headmaster,' She was saying as she opened the door, 'I'll get these back to you before dinner.' She gestured at a pile of papers in her hand. 'Mr Riddle.' She nodded and motioned for him to enter Albus' office. _

'_Minerva McGonagall.' He hissed. Minerva wanted to flinch away, but held strong. His hand reached her arm, gripping it tightly he leaned in to kiss her cheek. 'How pleasant to see you once more?' She slipped away down the staircase, trying to avoid looking into his eyes. Once out into the corridor, she slipped the papers in her robes, transformed into her animagus and ran along the corridors to her classroom. She collapsed into the high-backed chair at her desk and took a deep breath. She didn't know what it was or why, but something about Tom terrified her. She had never been so afraid of a person before, despite the strength of her Gryffindor heart. She saw why Albus didn't want him to teach, she only hoped he wouldn't be persuaded to appoint him anyway. She took several calming breaths and summoned one of the houselves. With a pot of tea brewing and a plate of ginger newts sitting before her on the desk she began to mark a pile of fifth year essays. _

_An hour later she was just adding the list of grades to her mark book when she became aware that she was no longer alone. She lifted her head and peered over her black rimmed glasses at the intruder by the door. Her heart began to beat a little faster, she was a little afraid, but she wasn't going to let him know that. _

'_Mr Riddle, is there something I can do for you? Or have you just interrupted me unnecessarily?'_

'_Minerva, you wound me.' He hissed. 'You never did make it up to me anyway.' He continued. Minerva raised an eyebrow. _

'_Make what up to you, enlighten me?' she continued, unsure of what he was referring to. _

'_Not coming to the Yule Ball with me.' He began walking, or rather gliding across the room towards her. 'You owe me, Minerva.' He stood before her desk. _

'_I owe you nothing, Mr Riddle. I didn't wish to accompany you then and I don't now. If that is all, I am quite busy and I…'_

'_Dear Minerva, I think you misunderstand me.' She stood and walked around the desk. Standing on her teaching platform, she was a few inches taller than him. _

'_Explain.' She stated coldly. _

'_Ever the teacher.' He stepped onto the platform and stood over her, reaching out and gripping her arm tightly just above the elbow. He pulled her towards him, grabbing her other arm and leaning down to whisper in her ear. 'I wasn't offering you a choice.' Wandlessly, he bound her hands behind her back and pushed her towards the desk. 'You!' he hissed, fiercely 'You embarrassed me! You made me look stupid in front of half the school. The rest humiliated me by gossiping about it! No one,' he grabbed hold of her hips and pulled them towards him, 'no one humiliates me, especially not a Gryffindor, especially not a woman!' He now gagged her before she could scream. 'Now, now, no one is going to hear you.' He lifted her onto the desk; another wordless spell prevented her from moving. She couldn't move, she couldn't scream. This was hell. This was what her boggart would look like. She felt cool air reach her legs, as her tights, shoes and to her horror, her knickers vanished. 'NO!' she mentally screamed, 'he wasn't going to do this!' But she had no way to stop him. He was going to rape her; he was going to touch her where only Albus had. She hated him; she hated him more than she had words and actions to describe. His hands were pushing her dress up; they were on her bare thighs. She had never been more repulsed by anything or anyone in her entire life. And then his robes were up around his waist and she could see his excitement. He forced himself upon her. She couldn't stop him. He was hurting her now and she couldn't do anything. She wanted him to stop, she wanted it all to go away; she had to make him go away. 'Come on, Minerva!' a voice in her head shouted, 'You're a Gryffindor, you were an auror, and you can get him away from you.'_

_Albus' eyes flooded into her mind, she remembered a night in this very classroom. 'I know you can do it' he had said. She had become the youngest animagus since Albus himself, she had passed all her exams with outstanding, become an auror, helped fight Grindelwald! Her heart swelled, she could do this. She concentrated, took a deep breath. _

'_STUPEFY!' she shouted internally. Tom shot away from her, crashing into the desks, his wand clattering across to the other side of the room. 'Finite.' She thought. She twitched her fingers, letting a small smile cross her cheeks. 'Accio wand' she said aloud. Standing to catch it, pushing her dress down. Her knees were unsteady, but she moved forward anyway. Tom still lay stunned on the floor. She cast her patronus charm to send a message to Albus, before turning to Tom. She put him in a full body bind before making sure he was listening to her. _

'_Tom Riddle.' She addressed him. 'You are nothing but a sad, lonely boy incapable of love. You will not hurt me ever again. You will leave this castle and not come back.' _

'_Minerva!' Albus shouted from the door, breathlessly. 'What happened?' He rushed across to her side. _

'_Mr Riddle tried to take something that wasn't his. Please can you have him escorted from the castle so he cannot return.' Albus nodded, levitating Tom's frozen body and leading him from the castle, not releasing him from the bind until they were outside the gates. He turned from Riddle and didn't speak or look back, re-entering the castle grounds and restoring the wards. When he returned Minerva was sitting at her desk, face pale and tears streaming down her cheeks. _

'_What happened?' He asked again, reaching down to touch her cheek, brushing the tears aside. 'What did he do to you?' Albus asked. Minerva looked him in the eyes and Albus gasped, he knew what had happened, he didn't need to ask. 'Oh, Minerva. I'm sorry, I should have been here. I shouldn't have let him touch you.' He lifted her and carried her through her office into her private sitting room. He sat on the sofa with Minerva in his arms. 'Did he? Did he…' Albus couldn't finish. Minerva's red, tear filled eyes blinked at him. _

'_I can't,' she whispered, 'You can look, but… I can't say it.' Albus nodded and delved into her memories. Watching the event unfold again, anger boiling inside him. _

'_Hold me.' Minerva whispered as Albus withdrew from her memories. He did so, wrapping her as tightly as he could in his embrace, kissing her hair. For hours they sat there, missing dinner in the great hall for the second time in a week. Professor Merrythought at least had the sense to continue on without them. Eventually Minerva shifted slightly in his embrace and spoke. _

'_Can you help me to the bathroom?' She asked, 'I want a bath, I can still feel him on me.' Albus nodded, standing with Minerva still in his arms. He ran the hot water and helped her undress. Gently he laid her in the warm scented bubbles and slipped in beside her. He ran the sponge over her body, placing gentle, loving kisses on the bruises appearing on her arms. His lips reached her neck, where his kisses lingered a little longer. _

'_I love you.' He murmured into her skin. Minerva gave a small smile. 'I promise to protect you; I promise I'll keep you safe. No one will ever hurt you again.' _

'_You can't promise that, Albus.' Minerva said finally. 'You can't promise no one will hurt me because you can't protect me from everything. Just promise you won't leave me and I'll be happy.'_

'_Never.' He stated. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. She felt completely safe in Albus' arms despite her ordeal. 'I will never leave you. Even in death I shall come back and haunt you!' Minerva laughed. Reaching to take the sponge from him, she kissed his fingers. She carefully washed between her legs with the sponge. _

_Albus charmed the water to stay warm and they lay among the bubbles for a while longer, content to be in each other's arms._

'_Promise me we are still going to see my father this weekend.' Minerva said, finally. _

'_You still want to?' he asked. _

'_There is nothing else in the world I want more.' _

'_Are you sure? You've been through a lot today, I don't want you to make a decision you will regret.'_

'_Albus, stop.' She turned to face him. 'I love you! I don't want anyone but you. I'm not going to change my mind and I will never regret choosing to be with you. Why would you think that?' Albus sighed._

'_Everyone I have ever loved has left me, the odds don't look good.' Minerva smiled at his confession. _

'_Since when do I go along with anything anyone else did? Albus, I was the biggest swot in my year, I never fit in with anyone. Besides Poppy, no one in my year even liked me. While they were all out having fun, having pillow fights in the common room, procrastinating about homework and avoiding the library like it had dragon pox; I was in your office studying, playing chess and reading every book in the library. I'm not like everyone else. I'm not going to leave you.' Albus nodded. 'Tell me about them? Your family, you never talk about them, why?' _

'_Let's get dried off and warmed up, then I'll tell you.' Minerva smiled. _

_Later that night they were both laid spooned together under Minerva's thick duvet. Only when Albus' strong arms were wrapped around her slender body, did he begin his story. _

'_My sister, Ariana. She was attacked as a child by some muggle boys in the village where we lived. She was never the same after the attack. Father was heartbroken and angry; he found the boys and attacked them. Unforgivable curses I would expect. He was sentenced to life in Azkaban and I never saw him again. My mother, the ever perfect Kendra Dumbledore took Ariana, Aberforth and myself to Godric's Hollow. We lived there in some vague normality for a few years until Ariana started to show signs of magic. She had no control over her emotions and as such her magic tended to…explode quite violently. One of these explosions caused the death of my mother. I'd finished Hogwarts so I stayed home to look after her. This was the same summer Grindelwald was staying in Godric's Hollow too. Aberforth felt I was spending more time talking about the Hallows and making plans with Grindelwald and not caring for Ariana. The three of us go into a fight and a stray spell hit Ariana and,' his voice broke; speech failed him for a moment. Tears were silently falling down his cheeks. 'Aberforth has always blamed me for Ariana's death. He lives in Hogsmeade but he never speaks to me now.'_

'_Oh Albus.' Minerva rolled over to face him. 'It wasn't your fault.'_

'_We don't know who's spell hit Ariana, for all I know it could have been me.'_

'_You didn't intend to hurt her, Albus. It happened, you can't change it. You can't punish yourself forever; doing so would only insult her memory.' Albus remained silent, staring into her emerald green eyes. 'I love you and I won't leave you.' She finished, snuggling herself closer to him. He kissed her hair and wrapped his arms around her. 'Marry me?' she murmured into his long auburn beard. _

'_Yes.' He whispered, tears still spilling down his cheeks. _


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for staying with me this far, I appreciate it.

Skaterofthebooks – My story _is_ currently rated T and there is a disclaimer on this chapter.

DarthVandola – Thank you for the review again! I'll try not to disappoint on the update front when term starts again (I can feel it creeping up on me already!) :/

Enjoy and reviews are greatly appreciated! :D

#####

_ Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, the sun creating shimmering diamonds on the surface of the lake. Owls swooped around the turrets and towers in the warm light before descending to the owlery. Minerva had woken early, the warm sun cascading across her bed, her sleeping lover remained wrapped protectively around her. Something he rarely did until this late in the morning to prevent staff and students suspecting something greater than friendship between them. Minerva smiled; in spite of the events of the previous day, she felt safe and happy. Albus loved her and there was nothing anyone could do that she couldn't recover from while she held that knowledge and his heart. She let out a soft purr of contentment; a side effect of her animagus form and snuggled closer to Albus. He sighed pulling himself closer to her and nuzzling his face into her neck. She smiled; satisfied he seemed to have unburdened himself a little from his grief. She lay in his embrace until he had woken, lost in her thoughts._

_ Being a Hogsmeade weekend Minerva had accompanied the older students down to the village. Albus had protested, suggesting she shouldn't go alone, but she had insisted. 'Hiding away and not living means he's won, I'm not going to miss out on doing something I want to do because of him. I promise I'll be safe.' she had told him, before pressing a kiss to his cheek. Eventually he gave in, knowing all too well that once Minerva decided what she wanted, he didn't have a chance at changing her mind._

_ An idea had occurred to Minerva when she woke that morning and a little careful research had given her the information she needed to act upon it. She hadn't felt proud of snooping around Albus' room while he was in the shower, but it had been a means to a better end, so she had done it._

_ She strode purposefully down the chilly high street, she wore shiny black leather gloves and a Gryffindor scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck. Her black boots crunched satisfyingly on the hard frost on the ground. She passed the post office, the Three Broomsticks pub, and Honeydukes sweetshop; the regular haunts of over excited Hogwarts students. Today she passed without a second thought, only pausing when two black cloaked boys emerged from Zonko's joke shop, arms full of purchases._

_ 'Whatever is in those packages boys I better not be on the receiving end of them!' she called across to them. _

_ 'Certainly not, Professor McGonagall.' The first boy said._

_ 'You're our favourite Head of Gryffindor, Professor. We wouldn't do such a thing to you!' an identical boy chimed in. _

_ 'I can't believe you'd suggest such a thing!' Exclaimed the first._

_ 'Gideon, I would suggest such a thing as on many occasions I have been on the receiving end of your pranks! Fabian, I am the only Head of Gryffindor you have had! And I'm not sure I trust either of you!' the both laughed. 'Just keep the disruption to a minimum please, Prewitt brother's firework displays are not to become a weekly occurrence.' they agreed reluctantly and Minerva strode on. Eventually she came to a halt outside a grimy looking pub. The wooden door looked battered, broken boards were nailed to the dirty glass windows and the sign above the door hung dangerously on only one hinge. _

_ Minerva shifted uncomfortably for a moment, unsure whether she had sufficiently prepared herself for this meeting. Deciding it was now or never, she took a deep breath and pushed open the door, a bell clanging inharmoniously above her._

_ Inside was dark and possibly dirtier than the outside. The tables and chairs were scattered around the room, looking as if there had been a fight the night before. Several of the bar stools lay broken on the floor. A loud bang in a back room drew Minerva's attention to an archway behind the bar. Heavy footsteps followed, before a tall man appeared. He wore a grey shirt and apron, his long dark hair and beard looked unwashed and clearly hadn't been brushed in sometime. Minerva felt her stomach jolt; she was becoming less confident in her idea by the second. The mans' appearance made her uneasy and she was put off by the strong smell of goat which she had an uncomfortable feeling was coming from him. _

_ 'What can I get ya, love.' he asked gruffly. Minerva shuffled awkwardly closer._

_ 'Er... A...a butter beer please.' he gestured towards the bar, where only one stool remained intact. Minerva sat on it and looked around. When he turned back with her drink in hand Minerva finally smiled. A pair of twinkly blue eyes sat amongst the tousled hair and dirty face. He placed the bottle down in front of her._

_ 'I don't get many Hogwarts staff in here, they normally prefer the Broomsticks.' he commented._

_ 'We don't often venture this far down; we can keep a better eye on the students in there.' _

_ 'Expect so.' she looked around again as an awkward silence descended. 'Excuse the mess,' he continued, 'things got a bit unruly last night, I'm sure one or two of them were part troll.' Minerva chuckled. _

_ 'My classroom's looked worse on a number of occasions.' she commented. He nodded. _

_ 'What do you teach?' _

_ 'Transfiguration. First years can make an impressive mess when they get it wrong!' he laughed. The silence this time was more comfortable._

_ 'Shouldn't think unskilled first years are enough to phase a Gryffindor though.' he gestured towards her scarf. _

_ 'Head of Gryffindor house.' she corrected him. 'No, knowing I was an auror as well seems to keep them in check most of the time.' _

_ 'Impressive.' he watched her for a moment and she shifted uncomfortably. 'This isn't just a social call is it?' he asked finally. _

_ 'No.' she conceded. 'I wanted to talk to you about your brother.' he huffed angrily._

_ 'Him I don't want to talk about!' he answered, reaching for several glasses from then sink and banging them on the shelves roughly._

_ 'I know what happened.' she stated and he turned, sadness replacing the anger. 'I am sorry.' she continued. 'I know I shouldn't intervene, he'd be cross if he knew where I was. But I wanted to ask if you'd consider talking to him. He blames himself entirely for what happened and to a certain extent he's justified, but he can't go on like this. I can't watch him hurt like this.' she finished, feeling herself become more emotional than she would normally have liked._

_ 'You're in love with him aren't you?' he observed._

_ 'Yes.' she admitted, checking they were still alone._

_ 'Your secrets safe.' he assured her. 'You should be aware that my brother tends to hurt those he loves the most. I'd get out while you're still relatively unharmed if I were you.' she watched him for a moment, carefully considering her reply. _

_ 'He told me a very similar thing. But I wasn't put in Gryffindor house for nothing and I'm certainly not like most people. I love your brother and I intend to marry him this afternoon.' Aberforth looked concerned and surprised in the same breath. _

_ 'I think you're mistaking Gryffindor courage for foolishness in that case.'_

_ 'I disagree.' she interrupted, 'I would like to extend an invite to you, should you wish to accept please be at the manse in Caithness at two o' clock sharp. If not please keep all information of this event and anything else I have revealed beyond my employment to yourself. Understood?' he nodded, feeling like he'd misbehaved in class and was being told off. Her tone then softened, 'Despite you differences and history, I think Albus would really appreciate you attendance.' she took her last sip of butter beer, placed a silver sickle onto the counter and stood, turning to walk to the door. Just before she reached it he spoke again. _

_ 'You really think he'd want me there? He asked. Minerva turned, carefully considering her answer. _

_ 'You're his brother. You're each other's only family. Don't do something that you'll regret, life's too short.' she turned back to the door and left before he could respond again. She marched back along the street, her breath visible in the cool crisp air. She smiled and greeted a number of her students as they passed. The smile lingered on her lips as she thought of where she would be and what she and Albus would be doing in just a few short hours. _

_#####_

And it's not what you think…. :P


	11. Chapter 11

_Apologies for the delay in updating, final year degree students don't get much of a break! MMADness is my sanity though! I have written the final chapter, I now have to work out how to get there! I hope not to be so long updating next time. Thank you for staying with me. Reviews greatly appreciated. xxx_

Albus shuffled from foot to foot just outside the school gates, his hands twisted together. Rationally he wasn't nervous. He adored Minerva and knew without a doubt she felt the same. Still he couldn't shift the uneasy feeling in his stomach. He assumed all grooms felt this way on their wedding day; this did not however reassure him. He exchanged pleasant greetings with a number of students who passed him on their route back to the castle. Through a crowd of happily chattering fifth year girls he caught sight of her, serene calm filling his body. He had no need to be nervous. She smiled pleasantly at him, her manner remaining completely professional while the students were within ear shot.

'Good morning, Professor Dumbledore!' she greeted him warmly.

'Professor McGonagall.' he smiled warmly, taking her arm and kissing her cheek. They walked arm in arm, greeting the excited groups of students as the passed, allowing themselves to be over heard discussing lesson plans and Transfiguration Today articles. Despite their obvious closeness, none of the students had ever seriously considered anything more than close friendship among the couple. Something Minerva and Albus were secretly quite proud of. They continued their discussions until they reached the outskirts of the small village. Arms still linked Minerva apparated them both to a small forest outside a village in Caithness.

The tiny muggle village had no more than thirty small cottages, a manor, a manse and a small stone church. The manse was occupied by the present church minister, Robert McGonagall, his wife Isobel and an occasional assortment of sons and grandchildren. Although in regular contact, Minerva rarely had the opportunity to visit her family, despite having the ability to apparate.

Albus laced his fingers between hers and gave her gloved hand and gave it a small squeeze, pulling her from her thoughts. He smiled lovingly, his signature twinkle lighting his dazzling blue eyes.

'Nervous?' he asked.

'Not really.' she paused, loosing herself in her thoughts again as she gazed around the familiar village.

'If you're not sure, Tabby, we can wait.' he offered. Minerva's eyes snapped to his, startled.

'Albus! No! That's not what I meant at all!' she took hold of both of his hands and looked into his eyes. 'I have never and will never have second thoughts or regrets or doubts about loving you, being with you, or being your wife. Please don't ever think that.' his face softened and he kissed her gently on the lips.

Hand in hand they began to walk through the village. The small cottages had the image of a Christmas card, snow covered their roofs, holly branches twisted with other evergreens into wreaths on the wooden front doors, inviting in guests.

'It's strange, it never changes. Every year, the village looks the same when the snow falls, as if no time has passed at all.' Albus chuckled at her observation.

'And yet it does.' they continued on, comfortable silence wrapped warmly around them. They reached the centre of the village; a memorial had been built the previous summer to commemorate the muggle war. Minerva smiled, pulling a small bunch of flowers from her cloak that she had conjured. She laid them before it, smiling back at Albus, both recalling aurors and friends they had lost in the same fight. Magic and muggle had been united and one side had been completely unaware of it.

'Minerva?' a voice behind her startled her for a moment. She turned, instinctively lacing her hand back into Albus'. Her eyes sparkled a little in recognition, giving the man a warm smile. He stood in snow covered boots, muddy trousers and a hand knitted jumper. A knitted hat covered a thick mass of bushy red hair and thick leather gloves covered his large hands.

'Dougal.' Minerva smiled kindly. Albus looked from the scruffy Scottish stranger to his fiancé, not sure how to react to the situation. He knew Minerva had loved this man at some point, although he knew that she loved him, he suddenly felt uneasy. 'It's lovely to see you again. I hope you are well?' she enquired.

'Ay. Not bad.' he replied.

'My Mother mentioned you had married?' Minerva continued, giving Albus' hand a reassuring squeeze.

'Yes, you remember Agathe' he gestured towards one of the snow covered cottages, this one with a red door.

'Of course.' Minerva nodded. She recalled a woman a few years younger than herself, with whom she had occasionally played with as a child. 'And she is well?' Minerva politely continued. Dougal nodded his head.

'She's well, thank you.' he paused eyeing Albus cautiously. 'You've neglected to introduce your friend, Minerva.'

'Albus Dumbledore.' Albus held out his hand politely. Dougal shook it, still unsure of the stranger. His eyes seemed to twinkle too unnaturally for Dougal's liking.

'Albus is my fiancé.' Minerva explained, a giddy smile settling on her lips as she said the words. In vowing to keep their relationship a secret, Minerva hadn't had the opportunity to say this to many people, which made it somewhat of a novelty. Dougal gave a grunt of recognition.

'Congratulations.' He offered, looking awkward, not entirely sure he wanted to congratulate the man that was stand hand in hand with the woman who still held his heart, in spite of her rejection. 'And you work Albus?' Dougal asked, shifting uncomfortably. He had decided almost immediately that there was something odd about this man. He eyed the deep purple scarf Albus' was wearing. The purple he decided was perhaps not too offensive; the sparkly silver stars that covered it however, were too much.

'I do indeed. I am headmaster at the same school Minerva works at.' He explained, hoping he'd offered sufficient detail that he didn't question further. Fortunately he seemed more satisfied with the response than with Albus. They continued their pleasant dance of small talk for a few more minutes until Minerva excused them, 'lest they be late for lunch.' Dougal watched as they left, hand in hand, the couple walked leisurely down the street, snowflakes gently falling around them. Finally he realised he didn't stand a chance, if in fact he ever really had. She lent in and rested her head on Albus' arm, both laughing about something Minerva was telling him. Dougal was not entirely sure about this strange, purple wearing man. He didn't seem like the sort of man who would be right for his Minerva. His Minerva. She wasn't his Minerva.

Minerva pointed out places of special interest as they went; the site of the tallest ever village snowman; the tree she had learned to climb and subsequently fallen from; and the meadow beyond the village where she had picnics with her mother and brothers. They paused momentarily before the stone church, exchanging excited smiles, before continuing to the next cottage. It was surrounded by a low stone wall, almost hidden by snow. Minerva carefully opened the wrought iron gate, and let her love through and a little way up the path. She paused as she felt something brushed against her leg. A black and white cat had emerged from the snow covered lawn, looking less than impressed by the damp, cold that had engulfed her when she'd strayed beyond the path. Minerva knelt on the neatly laid stones, carefully shovelled clear of snow probably by Minerva's father. She gently scratched the feline's ears, eliciting a small purr, before picking her up and wrapping her arms around her. Minerva turned as Albus chuckled to himself.

'Being a cat in snow isn't a pleasant experience, you know.' She retorted.

'Of that I have no doubt.' He returned.

'It can be arranged for you to explore the full experience.' She threatened.

'I shall politely decline.' Minerva shot him her best 'death glare', before softening and introducing him to the cat.

'Albus Dumbledore, Millie McGonagall.' She stated. 'Millie, this is Albus. Order of Merlin, first class; defeater of the dark wizard Grindelwald; Member of the Wizengamot; Esteemed Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and' she leant in closer to whisper to the cat, 'my future husband, but don't tell daddy yet.' She turned to Albus, 'did I miss anything?' He chuckled.

'That's what the chocolate frog card says; only they don't know I'm completely in love with a very talented, very beautiful Scottish witch.' He informed the cat, gently scratching behind her ears. Millie let out a contented purr and Minerva blushed.

'She seems to approve.' Minerva observed.

'Good.'

'Now for the rest of them.' Albus chuckled.

Minerva was confident her mother would be happy. She had discussed Albus on all of their recent lunch dates in Hogsmeade and Edinburgh, but Minerva had never explicitly said she wanted to marry him. Isobel however was an observant woman. She recognised the smiles and the sparkle in her daughter's eye, and the way her face lit up when she spoke of him. Isobel had known of Albus, as every other witch and wizard across the world, but she had instantly realised there was more to him than the Prophet's headlines. (She had resumed her subscription to the newspaper when her eldest daughter had started school, no longer able to completely detach herself from the wizarding world.)

'Ready?' Minerva asked; Albus nodded. She took a deep breath, summoning her Gryffindor courage; she stood tall and led her beloved to the front door. She paused, her hand on the door handle, and leant closer to Albus.

'For reference, Millie and I are the only McGonagall's who would appreciate being scratched behind the ears.' Albus chuckled, his arm round her waist, he pulled her closer and pressed his lips to her soft hair. With a final loving glance, Minerva opened the door.


End file.
